By Nanea Kalani nkalani@staradvertiser.com Posted on February 19, 2018

Updated on February 18, 2018 at 10:47 pm

A proposal that would allow Airbnb to collect tens of millions of dollars in state taxes generated by short-term rentals using the online home-sharing platform would also make it illegal for Airbnb to do business with any rental operators breaking county zoning laws.
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By Nanea Kalani nkalani@staradvertiser.com Posted on February 18, 2018

Not long after his abrupt resignation as Hawaii’s lieutenant governor, Shan Tsutsui is said to be gearing up to run the Maui operations for the gubernatorial campaign of U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa as she mounts a challenge to Tsutsui’s old boss, Gov. David Ige.
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By Nanea Kalani nkalani@staradvertiser.com Posted on February 15, 2018

Gov. David Ige announced Wednesday that the state plans to provide $2.8 million over 15 years in rental subsidies for seniors living in the Na Lei Hulu Kupuna affordable housing project, where tenants feared rent increases under new owners.
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By Nanea Kalani nkalani@staradvertiser.com Posted on February 15, 2018

Updated on February 14, 2018 at 10:40 pm

Residents of a large homeless encampment near the Waianae Small Boat Harbor say they are not to blame for many of the concerns being cited as reasons to explore shutting down the village on state-owned property.
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By Nanea Kalani nkalani@staradvertiser.com Posted on February 14, 2018

Updated on February 14, 2018 at 1:02 am

Leadership in the state House of Representatives tabled a bill Tuesday that would have protected roughly 200 residents of a long-standing homeless encampment near the Waianae Small Boat Harbor from being swept from the state-owned property.
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By Nanea Kalani nkalani@staradvertiser.com Posted on February 11, 2018

Updated on February 10, 2018 at 10:26 pm

The presumably dormant re-election campaign for the late U.S. Rep. Mark Takai has paid out close to $5,000 over the past year to purchase data from a Washington, D.C.-based campaign software vendor that tracks voter information.
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Lawmakers took Hawaii State Hospital officials to task over reports that escaped patient and admitted killer Randall Saito had a half-dozen sexual relationships while in the psychiatric facility’s care — including with hospital employees, who legislators believe may have helped him escape in November.
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Former state Attorney General Doug Chin took the oath of office this morning to officially become the 13th lieutenant governor of the state of Hawaii, replacing Shan Tsutsui who abruptly resigned Wednesday.
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Veteran state lawmaker Sen. Donna Mercado Kim flexed her fundraising muscle and raised more than $170,000 in campaign contributions so far to support her run for the U.S. House seat representing urban Honolulu.
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Lawmakers are again weighing legislation that would allow Airbnb to collect for the state an estimated $30 million a year in taxes generated by short-term rentals marketed on the popular home-sharing platform.
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By Nanea Kalani
and Tyne Phillips nkalani@staradvertiser.com,
tphillips@staradvertiser.com on February 1, 2018

By Nanea Kalani
and Tyne Phillips nkalani@staradvertiser.com,
tphillips@staradvertiser.com Posted on February 1, 2018

Updated on February 1, 2018 at 12:19 am

Gov. David Ige raked in more than $800,000 in campaign donations for his re-election bid in the last half of 2017 — short of the $1 million he set out to raise in that time frame, but slightly more than his Democratic opponent U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa.
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Gov. David Ige garnered more than $800,000 in campaign donations for his re-election bid through the end of the year — short of the $1 million he planned to raise in that time frame, but more than his Democratic opponent U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa.
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The teachers union is again pushing for legislation to create a dedicated funding stream for public schools by taxing investment homes and visitor accommodations to pay for things like retaining teachers and expanding public preschool and after-school programs.
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